Truck bed mounted spreader

ABSTRACT

A spreader assembly for spreading a material and for mounting to a bed of a truck is disclosed. The assembly includes a hopper and a frame having an upper rail for supporting the hopper in the bed of the truck. The frame includes a pair of front and rear posts extending downwardly from the upper rail and an upper rail extending in a cantilevered fashion from the rear posts to support the outlet spout outside the bed of the truck. A quick-release connector releasably engages the frame for preventing longitudinal movement within the bed of the truck. A spinner is rotatably attached and is moveable between an operating position and a storage position. The hopper includes a lower portion having a bottom with a first slanted portion having a first slope and a second slanted portion having a second slope with the first slope being different than the second slope.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/520,522 filed Mar. 8, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The general invention relates to spreaders, and more particularlyto a bed mounted spreader having an improved auger design.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Conventional rear mounted spreaders have a material deliverysystem which uses a vertical auger for directing material through anoutlet in a hopper. The outlet is typically a circular opening definedby the converging walls of the hopper. Generally, the walls adjacent tothe circular opening define a tubular opening and the auger is receivedwithin this tubular opening. The blades of the auger are closelyadjacent to the walls of this tubular opening. The hopper receives andstores, for example, sand, salt or other materials to be spread. Thevertical auger typically rises from the outlet and into the hopper. Inconventional spreaders, a rod extends from the auger and attaches to amotor mounted in the hopper that drives the auger.

[0006] This type of vertical auger orientation has presented operatingproblems. Due to moisture or other environmental factors, the materialwithin the hopper can become compacted, particularly adjacent thetubular opening. While the auger effectively directs material contactingthe auger through the outlet, the compacted material can cause a cavityto form above the auger preventing material from reaching the auger.Compaction is particularly problematic with sand and bulk salt, whichnaturally compacts and cavitates in a spreader. Sand and bulk salt willform a cavity directly above the auger and starve the auger.

[0007] Further, most related art spreaders are not releasably mounted toa truck bed. These spreaders are integrally formed within the bed andhave a conveyor belt extending the entire length of the bed to delivermaterial to a spinner. One related art spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No.5,927,617, has an integrally formed hopper in the bed with a conveyorbelt system for delivering the material to the spinner. However, the'617 Patent utilizes a dumping mechanism to deliver the material to theconveyor belt. Another spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,466, hassloping side walls and a flat bottom that delivers material to an augerwhich runs the length of the truck bed.

[0008] The related art spreaders are characterized by one or moreinadequacies. Specifically, none of the related art spreaders providefor a spreader having a large capacity hopper and a frame releasablymounted in the bed of the truck. The frames are typically a single piecethat becomes corroded and must be replaced with a entirely new frame.The frames are very heavy and cumbersome and require up to 5 hours toremove from the back of the vehicle. The related art spreaders do notprovide adequate devices for preventing cavitation of the material asthe material is discharged from the spreader. The spreaders areexpensive to manufacture and difficult to maintain due to the auger orthe conveyor belt running the length of the truck bed and the dumpingmechanisms required to deliver the material to the conveyor. It would beadvantageous to provide a spreader that was removable from the truck bedand cost effective to manufacture and easily maintained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

[0009] The subject invention provides a spreader assembly for spreadingmaterial and for mounting to a bed of a truck. The assembly includes ahopper having a front end and a rear end and a bottom downwardly slopingtoward the rear end to an outlet spout having an opening. A frame havingan upper rail supports the hopper in the bed of the truck and a pair offront posts and a pair of rear posts extend downwardly from the upperrail and engage the bed of the truck. The upper rail extends in acantilevered fashion from the rear posts to support the outlet spoutoutside the bed of the truck.

[0010] The hopper includes an upper portion having four upper walls anda lower portion for holding material to be spread. A spinner is mountedto the frame for receiving material from the outlet spout and forthrowing material over a large distribution area and a horizontal augerextends toward the opening of the outlet spout for facilitating thedischarge of material from the hopper through the outlet spout. A flowfacilitator is connected to the hopper and positioned within the hopperadjacent the horizontal auger for directing flow of material to theauger and a vibrator is connected to

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pick-up truck having a bedmounted spreader assembly;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hopper supported by a frame andbeing releasably mounted to the bed of the truck;

[0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the frame without the hopper;

[0014]FIG. 4 is an end view of the truck having the frame releasablymounted to the bed without the hopper;

[0015]FIG. 5 is an end view of the truck having the frame releasablymounted to the bed and the frame is supporting the hopper;

[0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hopper;

[0017]FIG. 7 is a side view of the hopper;

[0018]FIG. 8 is a top view of the spreader assembly mounted to the bedof the truck;

[0019]FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a rear end of the spreader assembly;

[0020]FIG. 10 is an end view of the hopper;

[0021]FIG. 11 is a side view of the hopper along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

[0022]FIG. 12 is a side view of the quick-release connector in anunlocked position;

[0023]FIG. 13 is a side view of the quick-release connector in a lockedposition;

[0024]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a spinner connected to the framein a storage position

[0025]FIG. 15A is a side view of another embodiment of the spinner;

[0026]FIG. 15B is a front view of a spinner bracket; and

[0027]FIG. 16 is a front view of the spinner illustrated in FIG. 15A.distributes the weight of the material evenly across the rear axle ofthe truck 24, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0028] The upper rail 30 extends in a cantilevered fashion from the rearposts 34 to support the outlet spout outside the bed 22 of the truck 24.Because the upper rail 30 extends in the cantilevered fashion, the rearend of the assembly 20 is outside the truck bed 22 and allows thematerial to be spread. It is preferable that the upper rail 30 extendscontinuously from the front posts 32 to the rear posts 34 for extendingoutside the bed 22 of the truck 24. The upper rail 30, the lower rail36, and the posts 32, 34 may be constructed of any material, such asplastic or metal, so long as the material is strong enough to supportthe weight-of the hopper 26 and the material. The upper rail 30 furtherincludes a front rail member 38, a rear rail member 40, and two siderail members 42 interconnecting the front rail member 38 to the rearrail member 40. In one embodiment, the upper rail 30 may be a singleintegral piece. Alternately, each rail member may be an individual piecefastened together to form the upper rail 30 and may be fastened by anymethods, such as welding, bolting, and the like. As best shown in FIGS.1 and 3, the rear rail member 40 is arcuate and is formed with threesections to conform to the hopper 26 and support the portion of thehopper 26 outside the bed 22 of the truck 24.

[0029] The frame 28 further includes a diagonal support 44 extendingbetween the upper rail 30 and the rear posts 34 for providing additionalsupport for the hopper 26 outside the bed 22 of the truck 24.Preferably, the diagonal support 44 extends from the rear rail member 40diagonally to the rear posts 34. Cross bars 46 extend between the upperrail 30 and each of the posts for providing additional support for thehopper 26. As shown in FIG. 3, two cross bars 46 extend between each ofthe rear posts 34 and the corresponding front posts 32 and two crossbars 46 extend between the two front posts 32. The diagonal supports 44and the cross bars 46 may be fastened by any methods known in the art offastening, such as, but not limited to, welding, bolting, or screwing.

[0030] A spout support plate 48 interconnects the diagonal support 44 tothe rear posts 34. The spout support plate 48 extends between the pairof rear posts 34 and are preferably welded to the posts. However, it isto be understood that the spout support plate 48 may be fastenedotherwise as described above. Hopper supports 50 are connected to therear posts 34 and at least one of the lower rail 36 and the spoutsupport plate 48 for supporting the hopper 26. Preferably, the hoppersupports 50 extend diagonally between the lower rail 36 and the spoutplate 48 for engaging the underside of the hopper 26. A spout rail 52extends from the spout support plate 48 for supporting an outlet spout51. The spout rail 52 is preferably C-shaped and fastened to the spoutsupport plate 48 at the legs of the C-shape. However, the spout rail 52may be fastened directly to the rear posts 34. The spout rail 52 alsoincludes an aperture 54 along a face of the spout rail 52. The spoutsupport plate 48 and the spout rail 52 are preferably constructed ofmetal, but may be any other type of material sufficient to support theweight of the material in the hopper 26 outside the bed 22 of the truck24 in the cantilevered fashion.

[0031] The spreader assembly 20 further includes a quick-releaseconnector 56 releasably engaging the frame 28 for securing the assembly20 to the bed 22 of the truck 24 and for preventing longitudinalmovement of the assembly 20 within the bed 22 of the truck 24. Referringto FIGS. 12 and 13, the quick-release connector 56 includes a bracket 58having a hole 60 and a pin mechanism 62 engaging the hole 60 of thebracket 58 for interconnecting the frame 28 to the bed 22. Either one ofthe bracket 58 and the pin mechanism 62 may be fastened to the bed 22.In the preferred embodiment, the bracket 58 extends from the frame 28and the pin mechanism 62 is secured to the bed 22. As shown in FIGS. 2and 3, the bracket 58 is shown integrally formed with the lower rail 36.However, the bracket 58 may be a separate piece welded to the frame toaccommodate different heights of the pin mechanism 62. Even morepreferably, the bracket 58 is welded to the frame 28, such as to one ofthe rails or to the lower rail 36. The pin mechanism 62 may be bolted orscrewed to the bed 22 to allow for removal of the pin mechanism 62 whileutilizing the truck 24 for different applications.

[0032] Referring back to FIGS. 12 and 13, the pin mechanism 62 isfurther defined as a plate being U-shaped with a first leg 64 and asecond leg 66. Each leg has a hole that aligns coaxially with oneanother for receiving a pin. The pin is urged through the holes by abiasing device 68. The biasing device 68 is preferably a spring engagingthe pin and either one of the first and the second legs 64, 66 forbiasing the pin through the holes. However, other biasing devices may beutilized as is known in the art of biasing devices. A stop 70 engagesthe pin and rotates between a locked position and an unlocked position.The stop 70 has a flat portion 72 and a leg portion 74, such that in thelocked position the flat portion 72 engages the second leg 66 and in theunlocked position the leg portion 74 engages the second leg 66. A handle76 is connected to the pin to allow for rotating the stop 70 between thelocked position and the unlocked position. It should be appreciated thatother quick-release connectors may be utilized without deviating fromthe subject invention, so long as the frame remains removable from thebed 22. For example, stakes or tabs could be inserted into the bed 22 ofthe truck 24 to secure the assembly 20 in the stake truck or thequick-release connector 56 may be straps, or chains, attached to frame28 and the bed 22 to secure the assembly 20.

[0033] A spinner 78 is rotatably attached to the spout rail 52 and ismoveable between an operating position, shown in FIG. 1, and a storageposition, shown in FIG. 14. The spinner 78 includes a vertical driveshaft 80 connected to a disc 82 for receiving material from the outletspout 51 and for throwing material over a large distribution area, as isknown in the spreader arts. A material deflector 84 is also attached tothe spinner 78 to assist in directing the material. A funnel 86 extendsthrough the aperture 54 in the spout rail 52 for funneling the materialfrom an opening 101 (shown in FIG. 10) to the disc 82. In the preferredembodiment, the spinner 78 is driven by a motor 81 and transmissionassembly, which are mounted outside the hopper 26. A cover 79 is used toprotect the motor 81 and transmission from the elements. The motor 81,transmission; and cover 79 may be mounted to the frame 28, preferably bybolts for easy removal and maintenance.

[0034] A locking mechanism 88 is utilized for locking the spinner 78 inthe operating position and in the storage position. The lockingmechanism 88 includes a pivot 90 connected to the spout rail 52, bestseen in FIG. 14. The pivot 90 is preferably a U-shaped bracket 58connected to the spout rail 52 and another U-shaped bracket 58 connectedto the spinner 78. When aligned, the U-brackets 58 can be secured,preferably with a pin through the aligned holes. However, other pivotdevices known in the art may be incorporated to rotate the spinner 78. Afirst locking point 93 (phantom in FIG. 1) for locking the spinner 78 inthe operating position is disposed on the spout rail 52 and ispreferably a hole. Referring to FIG. 14, the spinner 78 has a tab 92extending therefrom having a hole, which in the operating position isaligned with first locking point. A pin may then be inserted through theholes. A second locking point 94 for locking the spinner 78 in thestorage position extends from the upper rail 30. The second lockingpoint 94 is preferably an arm having a hole and is preferably L-shaped.The arm may also extend from the rear posts 34, the hopper supports 50,or the diagonal supports 44 and may be any desired shape. The pin maythen be inserted into the tab 92 and the second locking point 94 whenaligned. In order to rotate the spinner 78, the spinner 78 may have tobe released from both the pivot 90 and the locking point andrepositioned. However, the funnel 86 may be made of a flexible materialto allow rotation of the spinner 78 without disconnecting the spinner 78from the pivot 90.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 15A, 15B, and 16, another embodiment of thespinner 78 is illustrated. A pair of rods 158 extends from the spoutrail 52 for engaging the spinner 78. The spinner includes a spinnerbracket 160 having four keyholes 162 for engaging the rods 158. A springsafety latch 164 engages the spinner bracket 160 to lock the spinner 178to the spout rail 52 to limit vertical travel. The spring safety latch164 is moveable between a locking position and an unlocked position. Aspring 165 urges the latch 164 into engagement with the spout rail 52.Alternately, the spring 165 may be omitted, and the safety latch 164 maylock the spinner 78 to the spout rail 52. When in the unlocked position,the spinner 78 is completely removable from the spout rail 52. Thisprotects the spinner 78 from being damaged while the truck 24 isperforming other operations such as plowing. The motor 81 is housedwithin a sealed enclosure 166. The sealed enclosure 166 has marine plugsto prevent any salt or other debris from damaging the motor 81. A powercord 168 extends from the sealed enclosure for powering the motor 81.The funnel 86 and deflector 84 direct the material to a 12 o'clockposition on the disc 82 to ensure accurate and even distribution of thematerial.

[0036] The frame 28, as described above, supports the hopper 26 shown inFIGS. 6 and 7. The hopper 26 is fastened loosely into the frame 28 toallow the hopper 26 to vibrate and allow for quick removal of the hopper26 when empty. Preferably, the hopper 26 is secured to the frame 28 bytwo bolts. The hopper 26 has a front end 96, a rear end 98 and a bottom100. The bottom 100 is downwardly sloping toward the rear end 98 to theoutlet spout 51 having the opening 101. The hopper 26 includes an upperportion 102 having four upper walls 104 and a lower portion 106 havingthe bottom 100 and at least three lower side walls 108. In the preferredembodiment, the lower side walls 108 are slanted.

[0037] The hopper 26 is a large capacity hopper and is able to carrymore material to be spread, which results in fewer stops to refill thehopper 26 with material. Preferably, the hopper 26 is made of athermoplastic material, but other materials, such as metal, may beutilized. The thermoplastic material is advantageous because it does notrust, the material does not stick to the sides, and it requires nopainting. Also, thermoplastic material is very durable and can be easilyremoved without damage. The thermoplastic material is also very lightsuch that the frame 28 and hopper 26 weigh 500 lbs. less than most othercommercial systems. Preferably, the hopper 26 and frame 28 weigh lessthan 400 lbs., but this is not intended to limit the subject invention.This allows for additional material, such as a ¼ of a cubic yard or moreof material, to be carried by the vehicle. The hopper 26 is preferablyformed by rotational molding, or roto-molding. Roto-molding is known tothose skilled in the art of molding parts. The roto-molding allows thehopper 26 to be economically manufactured even though the hopper 26 hasa larger capacity because the molds are inexpensive and can be made in asingle piece.

[0038] The intersection of the upper portion 102 and the lower portion106 defines a flange 110. The flange 110 rests upon the upper rail 30when the hopper 26 is inserted into the frame 28. Each of the upperwalls 104, the bottom 100, and the lower side walls 108 may have areinforced portion 109 for strengthening the respective part. A cover(not shown) may be supported by the upper walls 104 to prevent theelements from entering the hopper 26. The cover may be a vinyl tarp or ametal or plastic cover. The outlet spout 51 has an access hole 111 foraccessing the interior of the outlet spout 51. The access hole 111allows for maintenance of the spreader assembly 20 without having toremove the material from the hopper 26. For example, a hand crank couldbe inserted for rotating the auger 132.

[0039] The sloped bottom 100 further includes a first slanted portion112 having a first slope and a second slanted portion 114 having asecond slope with the first slope being different than the second slope.The sloped bottom 100 begins adjacent the upper wall of the front end 96of the hopper 26. It is to be appreciated that the sloped bottom 100 mayextend from a lower side wall and not directly from the upper wall,while still practicing different slopes, the second edges are slanted inorder to connect the first edge to the mouth sides 130. The slantedsecond edge encourages the material to flow more easily into the outletspout 51 and thereby be discharged.

[0040] The spreader assembly 20 further includes a horizontal auger 132that extends toward the outlet for facilitating the discharge ofmaterial from the hopper 26 through the outlet. The horizontal auger 132is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The horizontal auger 132 extends the width ofthe truck bed 22, which reduces cost of the auger 132 and assembly 20 asopposed to running the length of the bed 22. The auger 132 is orientedsuch that a first end 134 extends through a side wall 136 of the outletspout 51 and attaches to a bearing 138 to allow rotation of the auger132. The bearing 138 is the only maintenance point and only requiresgreasing infrequently. A second end 140 of the auger 132 protrudesthrough another side wall 142 of the outlet spout 51 to a drivemechanism 145 for driving the auger 132. A motor 144 mounted outside thehopper 26 drives the drive mechanism 145. The motor 144 can operate torotate the horizontal auger 132 clockwise and counterclockwise forpreventing the auger 132 from jamming. Additionally, the slantedportions 112, 114 allow the motor 144 to operate at a lower amperagebecause the material flows evenly to the horizontal auger 132. Forexample, the motor 144 operates at 12 Amps whereas other related artmotors operate at 60 Amps. This allows for the motor 144 to be smallerand more efficient, and the assembly 20 more cost effective.

[0041] A controller 131 is capable of controlling both the motor 144 ofthe auger 132 and the motor 81 of the spinner 78. The controller 131 hasinfinite control and typically operates the two motors 144, 81.Preferably, the controller 131 is housed within the vehicle. The spinnermotor 81 to spinner transmission has reduction ratio of 8:1 and theauger motor 144 to auger transmission has a reduction ratio of 20:1. Asensor (not shown) is disposed between and in communication with thecontroller 131 and the motor 144 for sensing operation of the horizontalauger 132. The controller 131 senses when the horizontal auger 132 isoperating and when the horizontal auger 132 is not operating because ofa jam. In response to sensing the jam, the controller 131 automaticallyreverses the auger 132 a predetermined number of rotations. Thecontroller 131 is connected to the motor 144 by methods known in the artof controllers. The method of sensing the operation of the horizontalauger 132 and spinner 78. The sensor may include an encoder (not shown)on each of the motors 144, 81 or may be any other sensor known in theart. Referring to FIG. 9, the controller 131 is shown connected to bothmotors 144, 81.

[0042] The predetermined number of rotations may be a full turn, half aturn, two turns, or any other number of turns. The controller 131 may dothis four to six times or until the auger 132 is no longer jammed.Additionally, the controller 131 may display the amperage being drawn bythe motor 144, which correlates to the amount of material beingdischarged, on a display 133. If the amperage is low, less material isbeing discharged then when the amperage is high. This allows theoperator to know how much material is being discharged. Alternately,when the display 133 indicates a low or zero amperage, the operator mayaccess the auger 132 from the access hole 111 to free the cloggedmaterial. A cover 146 is mounted over the drive mechanism 145 to protectthe drive from the elements.

[0043] The sloped bottom 100 and lower side walls 108 of the hopper 26directs material toward the auger 132 as the auger 132 pushes materialtoward the opening 101. A baffle 148 (shown in FIG. 10) covers theopening 101 and the second end 140 of the auger 132 for preventingmaterial from freely flowing through the opening 101. The baffle 148 isaffixed to the side wall 136 of the outlet spout 51. The baffle 148 maybe formed in two pieces to allow removal of one part of the baffle 148to allow additional material to flow from the hopper 26 and to preventmaterial, such as sand, from clogging.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, a flow facilitator 150 ismounted adjacent to the horizontal auger 132 to facilitate the flow ofmaterial to auger 132. The facilitator 150 facilitates the flow ofmaterial in several ways. In the first way, facilitator 150 restrictsthe flow of material from within the hopper 26 to the area immediatelyadjacent to the auger 132. The facilitator 150 functions like a shieldto control the amount of material that reaches the auger 132. Thematerial is supported on the top of the flow facilitator 150 and flowsaround the edges of the facilitator 150 through the gap between thewalls of the lower portion 106 of the hopper 26. A further way is thatthe facilitator 150 relieves weight upon the auger 132. This allows theauger 132 to begin to rotate without having to rotate under the weightof the material in the hopper 26. A still further advantage is that thefacilitator 150 allows the material on the auger 132 to “burp” or heaveupward when the auger 132 starts to rotate. This relieves some of theweight on the auger 132 allowing it to begin operation with less powerand reducing the potential for the auger 132 to lock up. Another way isthat the facilitator 150 vibrates to agitate the material within thehopper 26 so that it continues to flow around the edges of thefacilitator 150 to the auger 132. The facilitator 150 functions as achisel when vibrated to cut through the material.

[0045] As illustrated, the flow facilitator 150 is preferably a V-shapedplate and formed at about a 45 degree angle with respect to one another.The plate may be differently shaped and still accomplish the subjectinvention. Further, different angles of the plate may be utilized toaccomplish the subject invention, for example, a 30 degree angle or a 60degree angle may be employed. The V-shape of the plate generally definesa knife edge. A mounting bracket 154 extends from the plate to the wallof the hopper 26 and a vibrator 152 is operatively connected to themounting bracket 154 to create vibrations with the V-shaped plate tofacilitate material flow. However, the vibrator 152 may be connecteddirectly to the flow facilitator 150. In the preferred embodiment,connecting rods 156 and mounting brackets 154 connect the plate to theside walls. The rods 156 allow material to be distributed to easily flowdown to the bottom 100 of the hopper 26 without clogging the auger 132or the opening 101. A screen may also be used to screen out largermaterials thereby preventing clogging or the spreader.

[0046] With reference to FIG. 10, the side walls 108 are illustratedsuch that one wall 170 and the other wall 175 have different slopes. Inthe preferred embodiment, wall 170 has a slope of about 15 degrees andwall 175 has a slope of about 10 degrees. Varying the slope of the walls170 and 175 facilitates the flow of the material to the auger 132.

[0047] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. The inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within thescope of the appended claims. The invention has been described in anillustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology,which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words ofdescription rather than of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A spreader assembly for mounting to a bed of atruck, said assembly comprising; a hopper having a front end and a rearend and a bottom downwardly sloping toward said rear end to an outletspout having an opening; a frame including an upper rail for supportingsaid hopper in the bed of the truck; a pair of front posts and a pair ofrear posts extending downwardly from said upper rail for engaging thebed of the truck; said upper rail extending in a cantilevered fashionfrom said rear posts to support said outlet spout outside the bed of thetruck.
 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein in said upper railextends continuously from said front posts to said rear posts forextending outside the bed of the truck.
 3. An assembly as set forth inclaim 2 wherein said upper rail further includes a front rail member, arear rail member and two side rail members interconnecting said frontrail member to said rear rail member.
 4. An assembly as set forth inclaim 3 wherein said rear rail member is arcuate.
 5. An assembly as setforth in claim 4 further including a diagonal support extending betweensaid upper rail and said rear posts for providing additional support forsaid hopper outside the bed of the truck.
 6. An assembly as set forth inclaim 5 further including a spout support plate interconnecting saiddiagonal support to said rear posts.
 7. An assembly as set forth inclaim 6 further including a spout rail extending from said spout supportplate for supporting said outlet spout.
 8. An assembly as set forth inclaim 7 further including cross bars extending between said upper railand each of said posts for providing additional support for said hopper.9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said frame furtherincludes a lower rail connecting said front posts and said rear postsfor providing additional support for said hopper.
 10. An assembly as setforth in claim 9 further including hopper supports connected to saidrear posts and at least one of said lower rail and said spout plate forsupporting said hopper.
 11. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid frame is sectional.
 12. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 furtherincluding a quick-release connector releasably engaging said frame forsecuring said assembly to the bed of the truck and for preventinglongitudinal movement of said assembly within the bed of the truck. 13.An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said quick-releaseconnector further includes a bracket having a hole and a pin mechanismengaging said hole of said bracket for interconnecting said frame to thebed.
 14. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said pin mechanismis further defined as a plate being U-shaped with a first leg and asecond leg, each leg having a hole being coaxial and further includes apin and a biasing device for biasing said pin through said holes of saidplate.
 15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said biasingdevice further includes a spring engaging said pin and either one ofsaid first and said second legs for biasing said pin through said holes.16. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said quick-releaseconnector further includes a stop engaging said pin, said stop beingrotatable between a locked position and an unlocked position.
 17. Anassembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said stop is further definedas having a flat portion and a leg portion, such that in said lockedposition said flat portion engages said second leg and in said unlockedposition said leg portion engages said second leg.
 18. An assembly asset forth in claim 17 wherein said pin further includes a handle forrotating said stop between said locked position and said unlockedposition.
 19. An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein saidquick-release connector further includes stakes for inserting into thebed of the truck to secure said assembly.
 20. An assembly as set forthin claim 7 further including a spinner rotatably attached to said spoutrail and being moveable between an operating position and a storageposition.
 21. An assembly as set forth in claim 20 further including alocking mechanism for locking said spinner in said operating positionand in said storage position.
 22. An assembly as set forth in claim 21wherein said locking mechanism further includes a pivot and a firstlocking point for locking said spinner in said operating position and asecond locking point for locking said spinner in said storage position.23. An assembly as set forth in claim 22 further including a pin forinserting into either one of said first locking point and said secondlocking point for locking said position of said spinner.
 24. An assemblyas set forth in claim 23 wherein said spinner is removable from saidpivot.
 25. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said hopperfurther includes an upper portion having four upper walls and a lowerportion having a bottom downwardly sloping and at least three sidewalls.
 26. An assembly as set forth in claim 25 wherein said slopedbottom further includes a first slanted portion having a first slope anda second slanted portion having a second slope with said first slopebeing different than said second slope and each of said slanted portionssloping downwardly from said rear end to said front end.
 27. An assemblyas set forth in claim 26 further including a horizontal auger extendingtoward said opening for facilitating the discharge of material from saidhopper through said outlet.
 28. An assembly as set forth in claim 27further including a flow facilitator connected to said hopper andpositioned within said hopper adjacent said horizontal auger fordirecting flow of material to said auger.
 29. An assembly as set forthin claim 28 further including a vibrator connected to said flowfacilitator for vibrating said flow facilitator.
 30. A spreader assemblyfor spreading material, said assembly comprising: a hopper including anoutlet spout having an opening, an upper portion having four upperwalls, and a lower portion having a sloped bottom and at least threelower side walls for holding material to be spread, said hopper havingan opening for receipt of material and an outlet spout for dischargingmaterial; a horizontal auger extending toward said opening of saidoutlet spout for facilitating the discharge of material from said hopperthrough said outlet spout; and said sloped bottom including a firstslanted portion having a first slope and a second slanted portion havinga second slope with said first slope being different than said secondslope and each of said slanted portions sloping downwardly from saidfront end to said rear end.
 31. An assembly as set forth in claim 30wherein said first slanted portion has a first width at said front endand a second width at said rear end, said first width being larger thansaid second width.
 32. An assembly as set forth in claim 31 wherein saidsecond slanted portion has a first width at said front end and a secondwidth at said rear end, said first width being smaller than said secondwidth.
 33. An assembly as set forth in claim 30 further including two ofsaid second slanted portions with said first slanted portion disposedbetween said two second slanted portions.
 34. An assembly as set forthin claim 30 wherein said first slanted portion and said second portionextends from one of said upper walls.
 35. An assembly as set forth inclaim 30 further including a mouth interconnecting said sloped bottomand said lower side walls with said outlet spout for emptying thematerial into said outlet spout.
 36. An assembly as set forth in claim35 wherein said mouth further includes a mouth front, a mouth rear andmouth sides.
 37. An assembly as set forth in claim 36 wherein said mouthfront further includes a first edge aligned with said first slantedportion and a second edge aligned with said second slanted portion. 38.An assembly as set forth in claim 37 wherein said mouth sides arealigned with said lower side walls.
 39. An assembly as set forth inclaim 30 wherein said lower side walls are slanted.
 40. An assemblyasset forth in claim 30 further including an access hole in said outletspout for accessing said horizontal auger.
 41. An assembly as set forthin claim 34 wherein said first slope has a slope from 8 to 35 degrees.42. An assembly as set forth in claim 41 wherein said second slope has aslope from 8 to 35 degrees.
 43. An assembly as set forth in claim 34wherein said first slope has a slope from 10 to 25 degrees.
 44. Anassembly as set forth in claim 43 wherein said second slope has a slopefrom 10 to 25 degrees.
 45. An assembly as set forth in claim 30 furtherincluding a frame for supporting said hopper in the bed of the truckwherein said frame includes an upper rail supporting said hopper and apair of front posts and a pair of rear posts extending downwardlytherefrom for engaging the bed of the truck.
 46. An assembly as setforth in claim 45 wherein said upper rail extends in a cantileveredfashion from said rear posts to support said outlet spout outside thebed of the truck.
 47. An assembly as set forth in claim 46 wherein saidupper rail extends continuously from said front post to said rear postsfor extending outside the bed of the truck.
 48. An assembly as set forthin claim 47 wherein said upper rail further includes a front railmember, a rear rail member and two side rail members interconnectingsaid front rail member to said rear rail member.
 49. An assembly as setforth in claim 48 wherein said rear rail member is arcuate.
 50. Anassembly as set forth in claim 49 further including a diagonal supportextending between said upper rail and said rear posts for providingadditional support for said hopper outside the bed of the truck.
 51. Anassembly as set forth in claim 50 further including a spout supportplate interconnecting said diagonal support to said rear posts.
 52. Anassembly as set forth in claim 51 further including a spout railextending from said spout support plate for supporting said outletspout.
 53. An assembly as set forth in claim 52 further including aspinner mounted to a vertical drive shaft for receiving material fromsaid outlet spout and for throwing material over a large distributionarea.
 54. An assembly as set forth in claim 53 wherein said spinner isrotatably attached to said spout rail and being moveable between anoperating position and a storage position.
 55. An assembly as set forthin claim 54 further including a locking mechanism for locking saidspinner in said operating position and said storage position.
 56. Anassembly as set forth in claim 55 wherein said locking mechanism furtherincludes a pivot and a first locking point for locking said spinner insaid operating position and a second locking point for locking saidspinner in said storage position.
 57. An assembly as set forth in claim56 further including a pin for inserting into either one of said firstlocking point and said second locking point for locking said position ofsaid spinner.
 58. An assembly as set forth in claim 57 wherein saidspinner is removable from said pivot.
 59. An assembly as set forth inclaim 52 wherein said spinner is removably attached to said spout rail.60. An assembly as set forth in claim 59 further including a spinnerbracket engaging said spinner and said spout rail for removablyattaching said spinner to said spout rail.
 61. An assembly as set forthin claim 60 wherein said spout rail further includes rods extending fromsaid spout rail for supporting said spinner bracket.
 62. An assembly asset forth in claim 61 further including a safety latch connected to saidspinner bracket, said latch being urged into engagement with said spoutrail for limiting vertical movement of said spinner.
 63. An assembly asset forth in claim 30 wherein said hopper is formed by rotationalmolding.
 64. An assembly as set forth in claim 63 wherein said hopper isformed of plastic.
 65. An assembly as set forth in claim 30 furtherincluding a controller connected to said horizontal auger, saidcontroller being adapted to control said horizontal auger by sensingsaid horizontal auger being jammed.
 66. An assembly as set forth inclaim 65 wherein said controller is adapted to reverse said horizontalauger a predetermined number of rotations in response to sensing saidhorizontal auger being jammed.
 67. An assembly as set forth in claim 66wherein said controller is adapted to continually switch between forwardand reverse with said horizontal auger until said horizontal auger isoperational.
 68. An assembly as set forth in claim 67 wherein saidcontroller includes a display for displaying operation of saidhorizontal auger.
 69. An assembly as set forth in claim 68 wherein saidcontroller is connected to said spinner and said controller is adaptedto control said spinner.
 70. An assembly as set forth in claim 30further including a flow facilitator connected to said hopper andpositioned within said hopper adjacent said horizontal auger fordirecting flow of material to said auger.
 71. An assembly as set forthin claim 70 further including a vibrator connected to said flowfacilitator for vibrating said flow facilitator.
 72. A spreader assemblyfor spreading material, said assembly comprising: a hopper including anoutlet spout having an opening, an upper portion having four upperwalls, and a lower portion having a sloped bottom and at least threelower side walls for holding material to be spread, said hopper havingan opening for receipt of material and an outlet spout for dischargingmaterial; a horizontal auger extending toward said opening of saidoutlet spout for facilitating the discharge of material from said hopperthrough said outlet spout; a controller connected to said horizontalauger; and said controller being adapted to control said horizontalauger by sensing operation of said horizontal auger.
 73. An assembly asset forth in claim 72 wherein said controller is adapted to reverse saidauger a predetermined number of rotations in response to sensing saidhorizontal auger being non-operational.
 74. An assembly as set forth inclaim 73 wherein said controller is adapted to continually switchbetween facilitating the discharge of the material and reverse untilsaid horizontal auger is operational.
 75. An assembly as set forth inclaim 74 wherein said controller includes a display for displayingoperation of said horizontal auger.
 76. An assembly as set forth inclaim 75 further including a spinner mounted to a vertical drive shaftfor receiving material from said outlet spout and for throwing materialover a large distribution area.
 77. An assembly as set forth in claim 76wherein said controller is connected to said spinner and said controlleris adapted to control said spinner.
 78. An assembly as set forth inclaim 77 wherein said controller is adapted to operate said horizontalauger motor in a 20 to 1 ratio.
 79. An assembly as set forth in claim 74further including a motor disposed between said horizontal auger andsaid controller for rotating said horizontal auger.
 80. An assembly asset forth in claim 79 further including a sensor connected to said motorand in communication with said controller for sensing operation of saidhorizontal auger.